Dear listeners of Earth to Humans and followers of the Wild Lens Collective,
We have a very special episode of the Earth to Humans podcast to share with you today. A few months ago I had the opportunity to speak with science fiction author Blake Hausman, who wrote a book entitled, “Riding the Trail of Tears”. This book has a fascinating premise - it takes place in a not-too-distant future in which tourists pay to experience a hyper-realistic virtual reality re-creation of the Trail of Tears.
I discovered this book while doing research for a forthcoming season of the other podcast series that I produce, “Common Land”. Our next season of Common Land will be about the Appalachian Trail, and some of you may be aware that I completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail last year. Since returning from my 6-month-long, 2,200 mile journey from Georgia to Maine, I’ve been spending lots of time researching the history of Appalachia and interviewing folks that I’d like to feature in this new series. I’m particularly interested in Cherokee history, in part because the southernmost 635 miles of the trail reside within the former domain of the Cherokee Nation.
I was looking for a Cherokee author and/or historian that would be interested in sharing their knowledge of the events leading up to the Trail of Tears in a podcast interview, when a book title caught my eye. There are lots of dry, historical texts with titles that include the words, “Trail of Tears”, but the insertion of the word “Riding” in front of those familiar words struck me as odd. Was this a work of fiction, I wondered?
I clicked the link and learned that I had, in fact, come across a work of Indigenous science fiction. But “Riding the Trail of Tears” is a novel that resists labels. The story takes place in the future, yet highlights aspects of Indigenous history that are often obscured by mainstream American culture. The story is also darkly satirical and downright weird. At times it strays into the surreal, invoking tones of magical realism. Published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2011, this book didn’t make a huge splash in the literary world, and that’s too bad, because it is fun, hilarious, thought-provoking, and deeply engaging.
I contacted Mr. Hausman right away, and he agreed to an interview. As you’ll hear from listening to this episode, his personality is disarming. I was drawn into conversation immediately and Mr. Hausman’s tone of voice and manner of speech made me feel like a trusted friend. While it’s often a challenge to convince an interview guest to speak with me in a casual and conversational tone, Blake and I dove into this discussion as if we’d known each other for years. This is one of the things that makes certain podcast interviews so special - when the intimacy of the conversation makes you feel, as a listener, that the guest is speaking to you directly. I hope that some of you get that special feeling from this episode.
I also hope that a few of you will seek out a copy of “Riding the Trail of Tears” from your local library or bookshop. If you do find some time to read the book, send us a message and let us know what you think!
Get your copy of the book directly from the publisher by following this link.
Earth to Humans Updates:
With the launch of our new season, the ETH team has begun hosting conversations on Instagram live every other Monday. We’ve been sharing previews of upcoming episodes, discussing news articles or stories that have caught our attention, and sharing life updates! Two weeks ago Hannah shared the story of rescuing a puppy that she found in a trash bin. Hannah’s new friend Dusty the dog now has a new home, and we thought folks might want to see a picture of Dusty with his new friend Cookie.
If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Instagram to make sure that you catch all future updates about Dusty the dog, and everything else that the ETH team is up to.
We’ve also got a brand new website where you can listen to episodes, check out photos shared by our guests, and get updates on the show.
Riding the Trail of Tears with Cherokee Sci Fi Author Blake Hausman